USA Funds Awards $100,000 to American Indian College Fund for Scholarships

February 11, 2010

Denver, Colorado – USA Funds®, the nation’s leading education-loan guarantor, has announced the award of $100,000 for scholarships to the American Indian College Fund, which provides access to higher education for American Indian students.

Since 2001, USA Funds has awarded more than $900,000 to support the American Indian College Fund and its scholarship programs. This support is in line with the USA Funds mission to promote access to higher education to all deserving students. In 2007 USA Funds awarded $400,000 to five national scholarship organizations that promote access to higher education for minority students.

“The American Indian College Fund is successfully making a difference in the lives of the students it serves by helping them realize their dreams of postsecondary education," says Carl C. Dalstrom, USA Funds president and CEO. "In keeping with USA Funds’ nonprofit mission to enhance access to higher education, we are pleased to support the Fund and its scholarship programs.”

Richard B. Williams, president and CEO of the American Indian College Fund, says, “USA Funds is helping to fund dreams and miracles in Indian Country. American Indians are able to turn their dreams into reality through a college education, and are returning to their communities to make a difference, lead, and serve as role models. This gift is not just the gift of education—it is the gift of hope.”

About USA Funds

Headquartered in Indianapolis, USA Funds is a nonprofit corporation that works to enhance postsecondary-education preparedness, access and success by providing and supporting financial and other valued services. During the year ending Sept. 30, 2009, USA Funds guaranteed education loans totaling $20 billion for students and parents throughout the nation. USA Funds serves as the designated guarantor of federal education loans in eight states: Arizona, Hawaii and the Pacific Islands, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Mississippi, Nevada and Wyoming. USA Funds also invests more than $6.2 million annually in scholarships and outreach programs that advance its mission of support to higher education. For more information about USA Funds, visit www.usafunds.org.